The Olympian's War
by rogueoreo
Summary: Eris, daughter of Hades, and Onesimus, son of Hermes are living in the wake of the gods' forced promise to Percy. The two campers are fierce enemies and loathe the idea of working together
1. Enter Eris

**AN:** The first two chapters are boring and very short; they're just the introductions of the main characters. Try chapter three and I think you will really like the story.

"Eris! Get over here!" A boy with sandy colored hair and startlingly stormy gray eyes yelled at her from across the compound.

She turned toward the caller and put her hand up to block the sun. The wind kept blowing Eris' dark brown hair into her face, and the hassle of always having to tie it out of her face was getting tiresome. Eris made a silent note to chop it all off at the next opportunity.

She noticed that the boy who'd called her was Clif. He was one of Athena's kids and Eris guessed that he was constructing some grand strategy for the upcoming capture-the-flag game. She ran over to him and looked at him with unimpressed eyes.

"Oh don't give me that 'I don't flipping care' look of yours now." He smiled warmly at her and brought his voice lower. "I know you practice that sourpuss look of yours in the mirror anyways." He gave her a wink. Eris sighed heavily, but a hint of a smile found its' way on her lips.

Before she knew it, her thoughts started wandering elsewhere with Clif; places where she knew they were better kept in her head . . . or a fantasy book. She ended up rolling her eyes with her arms crossed. He looked at her chastisingly and gave her a knowing grin.

He pressed on without any of Eris' acknowledging words. "So I'm working on this blueprint for our next tower . . . which I'll need the Hephaestus kids to construct. But I mean, if all goes right . . ." he wandered off into Clif talk and tapped a pencil on the blueprint impatiently. He looked up at Eris as if he just remembered she was there and spurted out "Oh! Right! I called you over. I need to know if you'd be okay with playing the defensive keeper this next round. It'd be just you, you see? With this tower and your father's gifts, you'll be able to hold the flag much better than ten Athenians." He gave Eris another exuberant grin and she just stared at him like he was crazy. "We both know you love challenges, and if we spend only one person on defense then we can focus forces elsewhere." He added another thought. "I wouldn't trust anyone else with this kind of job, Eris," and his hand found its way onto her fingertips. Eris felt heat rushing to her face, and she withdrew her hand.

She nodded to acknowledge his plan and with a rather ungraceful stumble, made her way back to her cabin.


	2. Enter Onesimus

**AN: **Not all of the chapters will be as short as the first two. This is just the introduction of the two characters. Also, I have to give credit; I am not the sole writer of this story. This is a co-op piece. I write Onesimus' parts and my partner writes Eris' parts.

Onesimus rubbed the back of his head where it'd been hit. Rayla, the leader of the Athena cabin and the leader of the opposing capture-the-flag team had thrown him out of the cabin (quite literally) after smacking him in the back of the head with the first object she could get her hands onto (which just so happened to be her laptop).

A crowd had gathered outside the cabin as Rayla yelled at Onesimus (once again) about intruding. Onesimus grinned as she yelled which only made her angrier. The spectators at Camp Half-Blood had become used to this sight: Onesimus, a child of Hermes, being yelled at by basically any other cabin's occupants. He always got caught on purpose. It was more fun that way. Besides, since he was consistently caught, everybody believed he was a horrible thief.

Behind Rayla, in the doorway, stood Krea. Well, actually, most of the Athena cabin were in the doorway trying to get a peek at the action, but the only one Onesimus saw was Krea.

"Do you hear me, Onesimus?" Rayla yelled, finishing her rant with the usual "Don't come in here again or else" routine. Had Onesimus and Rayla not been in front of the entire camp, there would have been much more colorful language.

Onesimus' grin widened slightly. "Yeah, I gotcha." He said, with a slight hint of an accent. "Now, is that weekdays only or does it include weekends?" Onesimus said in a way that sounded like he sincerely wanted to know the answer to his question. Rayla's storm-grey eyes sparked with anger as though lightning was running through her pupils. "Okay, I get it: weekends, too." Onesimus said in mock surrender and started backing away.

Rayla turned on her heel and strode angrily back to her cabin. Onesimus caught Krea's eye and winked, putting a sly smile on his face. She blushed slightly and quickly went back into the cabin.

Onesimus walked away with a spring in his step. He slipped the blueprint from his sleeve to make sure it hadn't been damaged when he'd landed on it. He walked happily to the Ares cabin with his spoils.


	3. Preparations

**AN: **So I realize that as I get more readers (hopefully), you'll want to know when I'll be posting. Well, I can't tell you that. Being that both my writing partner and I have part-time jobs with erratic hours, are recent high-school graduates and will be starting our lives soon, we simply write when we have the chance. Obviously we don't write separate parts on the site and I'm the one who transfers our writings to Word and then to here. I'm also the one who works the most. So, in conclusion, I'll post as often as I can. Some days, I may post twice or even three times, but other days I may not post at all. Sorry in advance for erratic posting.

As Eris walked away with burning cheeks, she could still feel Clif's hand lightly on hers. It was only a fantasy, she and him, but the way it felt like they connected was evidence of something more.

As she made her way to her cabin, she saw the spectacle of the day: some Hermes kid had gotten caught sneaking around the Athena cabin. She didn't pay much attention; it was a normal occurrence by then. She made it to her cabin and climbed the short stairs to the porch. She had no traps like the other cabins did and simply walked inside.

She closed the door gently and, seeing no more than five beds, she was reminded of her loneliness. Unlike the other cabins who feared secrets being discovered by the other cabins, she'd made the decision not to keep anything precious in her cabin. It wasn't like it mattered, though; Eris' namesake and her godly parentage was enough to deter most thieves.

She plopped onto her bed and laid there staring at the ceiling. One of the cool things about the cabin, she had the night sky recreated in her room. It made her smile, seeing the constellations and the moon.

But she didn't stay long; capture-the-flag was to commence after dinner and this time, she actually had a purpose. She rolled off the bed to the wall and picked up her weapon. It was a rather bulky one-handed sword – heavier than most – with an ancient Greek engraving on the blade that said "strike fear in the heart". She liked to imagine it was a gift from her father, but she'd forged the sword herself.

She tossed the sword from her left hand to her right, re-familiarizing her muscles with her weapon. She gripped the hilt close to her face, whispering "may the gods watch over me and may you, father, grace me with the gifts to truly represent your name."

The noise coming from the Ares cabin died immediately when they noticed Onesimus entering. They looked at him expectantly and for a second, he let them live in suspense. He relished the moment but it grew old pretty quickly. He pulled the blueprint from his sleeve and a round of cheers went up. He grinned and basked in the glory, knowing it would be short-lived.

He walked up to the cabin leader and greeted him with a handshake and pat on the shoulder. "Come on, Alex", he said to the 6 foot 3 inches tall (1.905 meters) Aryan with muscles the size of his head. It was hard to believe he was only 15.

As Onesimus expected, the cheering petered out as the campers returned to doing what they'd been doing before. Alex grimaced and said through gritted teeth "Right. Your payment." He reached into his left pocket and his hand came out empty; he furrowed his brow and reached into his right pocket, again coming up empty. Onesimus grinned wickedly and Alex's expression darkened slightly when he noticed Onesimus' grin. Alex realized immediately that Onesimus already had it.

"You're dismissed." He said venomously.

Onesimus laughed a little. "Aw, that's no way to treat the hero of the day is it?" Alex's hands balled into fists. Onesimus loved messing with Ares' kids. They were so easy to anger.

"Leave, Onesimus, while you still have your head." Alex growled at him.

Onesimus laughed audibly this time which he knew would only make Alex angrier. "Alright, alright. I'll see you on the battlefield." He said with a mischievous tone.

Eris didn't know why, but she got that stinging sensation in her eyes, as though she was going to cry. Before she allowed anything to happen, she choked back a breath. _You're not a little girl anymore Eris. Grow up already. _She mentally berated herself at the lack of grip over her emotions.

Her stomach wasn't really in the mood for dinner, and the announcements would be nothing new. Besides, Clif had already told her what her place was. She thought it would be good to take some time to acquaint herself with her defensive post.

The teams were set as such: Athena, Hades, and Apollo versus the Ares, Hermes, and Artemis cabins. Ever since Percy's promise and the camp had added dozens of cabins, capture the flag was now teams of three cabins; and the teams faced each other in a tournament-style series of matches. This match was just a qualifying match, much like the qualifying matches in the World Cup.

Eris thought hard about the advantages and disadvantages of the competition. Godly parent wise, the teams seemed about even. The Ares team outnumbered them greatly but sheer size never won – or at least, that's what all the Athena kids kept telling her. Still, regardless of what Clif said, she silently feared the idea of her alone with this wacko tower.

She made her way to the forest from behind her cabin as she tightened straps to her bust and waist. She bolted her sword to her hip. Unlike most Greeks, Eris didn't carry a shield. She needed her free hand to direct her power when and wherever it was needed. Now that she thought about it, most children of the Big Three preferred fighting without shields.

Eris' hair was still loose and as the sun started painting the sky with colors, she saw the white streaks draped on the side of her face. She hated the streaks. She was always told it made her look like an old woman. It was as if they were symbols of her elderhood that she somehow knew would never come.

She crossed the stream-like river and started making her way to her team's defensive point. Clif had said the tower would be constructed in a small field. "To lure them in." he'd said. Eris had an idea of which field and as she came into the clearing, she discovered she was right. An unbelievable rook-like tower was there. It was perhaps five stories high and it looked smooth on the outside. She looked at it incredulously. _How in the bloody name of Tartarus is _this _going to help us?! _She yelled inside her head. She kicked it's outer frame in frustration; and with three times the force as she'd put into her kick, she was propelled backwards onto her rear end. She found herself rubbing her head and staring up at the contraption. She squinted at it and tried to figure it out. It finally clicked in her head and a smirk began to form as she slowly realized what it was Clif had created.

**AN: **My writing partner and I would love some reviews. We've been writing for fun for years but this is our first time letting the world see it. We really want to know how we can improve.


	4. Discouraging Visit

**AN: **May not be able to post tomorrow because of a long work shift. The next chapter is going to be especially long so it's not likely that I'll get it on here tomorrow. Might get it in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Anyways, enjoy!

Onesimus leaned back in his hammock, ready to relax; but then the friggin dinner horn was sounded. Onesimus was so startled he almost fell to the ground but managed to keep his balance and stay in the hammock. He contemplated for a second before deciding not to go to dinner. _Nobody will miss me anyway. _He smiled, content to bask in the warmth of the sun.

He'd almost drifted off when he felt a presence. A dark, depressing, sinister presence. Onesimus' eyes shot open and before him stood a 6-foot tall man with shoulder-length black hair, a serious face that seemed to examine every inch of him and plot his death at the same time, and night-black clothes that seemed to come straight out of a Goth magazine.

Onesimus stood from his hammock, prepared to fight, if necessary. The figure regarded Onesimus with the same seriousness that Onesimus regarded him. After what felt like an eternity, the figure spoke. "Don't know why they chose you." He said while shaking his head disapprovingly. His voice was like iron grating on stone. "You don't look like much."

Onesimus' fists clenched but he remained in his spot. The figure hadn't brandished a weapon yet, and Onesimus was unsure what exactly the best way to attack him was. Onesimus needed the man to show his weapon. "Well I suppose you'll have to do." The figure said without a hint of emotion.

The figure was really starting to piss Onesimus off. "Whoever the hell you are, leave. Now."

The figure laughed but it lacked the usual warmth a laugh usually holds. "That's not very hospitable for the son of the god of travelers. Also, I believe you meant to say 'whoever the Hades' I think I am. I do believe I am Hades." The fire in the god's eyes shone bright as Onesimus' eyes widened in shock at this revelation. Onesimus' mind revisited what the god had said about him being chosen. This did not bode well for his life expectancy. "Have fun at capture-the-flag." He said with a note of mischief that made Onesimus fear for his life.

Eris poked and prodded the tower with plants, weapons, a covered hand, just about anything that came to mind. It wasn't unless she channeled some sort of emotion towards it that she got a response. It was weird, really, as if it had an off and on switch.

She saw an alcove at the top that would be perfect for an outlook perch, but the framework was so smooth, she had no idea how she'd climb it. Then, as if the tower had read her mind, it started sprouting a spiraling staircase leading up to the alcove. It made a scratching, creaking sound and she could feel the tower vibrate as it moved. She took her first step, testing its' stability. She decided it was sturdy enough and ascended to the top.

As soon as she made to the alcove, the steps receded back into the tower. She felt a breeze tickle her cheek and went to the edge of the tower. Through the trees, she could see the lights of the dinner pavilion. Up above, she could see the first star peek from the darkness. She couldn't help but make a wish. She silently wished for the chance to prove herself in other's eyes. _That's all I want. . . . That, and to be accepted, but one thing at a time. _

A shiver went down her spine and a voice, a deep voice, a voice that spoke with years of experience said in her head: "You must make others see you. Make yourself known. Take your nose away from the grindstone and open your eyes." And with that, the voice went silent.

Eris had only been talked to by her father a couple of times but had never seen him in person. She didn't know if she wanted to, actually.

She heard a readying horn sound in the distance and heaved a sigh. She drew her sword and took a breath. "I'm ready." She said and waited

After Hades had uttered his last sentence, he'd flashed Onesimus a skeletal grin and the ground opened and swallowed him up. No marks were left after the ground crawled together and closed. Onesimus was left staring stupidly at the spot where he'd been.

He stood there frozen for a short eternity until he heard the horn that signaled the beginning of capture-the-flag. Remembering Hades' words, he suddenly wasn't in the mood for the game. He probably would have stayed there, too, but he knew that Alex would need him for something so he unclenched his muscles slowly and moved toward the forest.

On his way, a few of the Ares kids shot Onesimus grins and patted his back. Each one walked away with slightly lighter pockets. His smile returned with each tiny theft. He didn't really like the Ares kids and they usually didn't like him.

About 100 feet from the forest, Alex stopped Onesimus and held out his hand. Onesimus put all the various items from Alex's cabin mates in his hand without hesitating.

Alex and Onesimus were probably the worst enemies, but they also had a lot of respect for each other. They understood each other's strengths and weaknesses and could work together if their goals ever aligned. During those times, they were the best of friends.

Onesimus looked up at Alex, knowing that Alex had a special task for him by the look in his eye. "So how am I going to save your ass today?" Onesimus asked with a grin.

Alex grimaced and seemed to consider not giving Onesimus the assignment, but in the end, pride lost to strategy. Alex took a deep breath and pulled out the blueprint that Onesimus had given him earlier. He unrolled it and began. "From the blueprint, we can tell that they've got a tower. Just one. One single tower. The plans specifically mention that only one person will be guarding it. Which means it's a diversion. They want us to send the mass of our team towards that tower." He pointed towards the forest.

In the distance, Onesimus could see the tower standing ominously above the trees. He nodded at Alex. He understood exactly what Alex wanted him to do without Alex having to say it. Onesimus was by far the fastest child of Hermes and definitely the most agile. But most importantly, the quietest. Alex wanted Onesimus to attack the tower. Alone.

While Onesimus was at the tower, Alex would have his team searching for the flag. Onesimus was ready to go until he remembered Hades' words. Then he reconsidered. He'd be at that imposing, tall tower with only one other person. "Does it say who they got to guard the tower?" Onesimus asked, suddenly nervous.

Alex frowned and said "No." Then he quickly added "But if it's just one person then it won't be anyone too important or skilled. Should be an easy fight for you."

Onesimus nodded, but all he could think about was how easy his death would be to mistake for an accident from that tower.

**AN: **Hope you enjoyed it, the next part will be the capture-the-flag game. Please leave a review so that we can improve the writing of the story. Also, if anyone has any questions about the writing or the authors, feel free to private message me and I'll be happy to answer the question(s).


	5. Capture The Flag

**AN: **Well, this certainly is a long one. I really wanted to post earlier, but life got in the way so I made this one extra long to make up for it. I hope you guys have as much fun reading it as my partner and I did writing it.

Eris heard the horn make its resounding peace as it signaled the beginning of the games. When Clif had told Eris she'd be alone, he really meant alone. Eris had only spotted her team members spread out in the forest line in preparation, but as the horn sounded, her small glimpses of them from her outlook had come to an end.

Her palms started growing sweaty as she waited anxiously but kept her eyes fixed on the forest floor. She was ready for whatever the opposing team could throw at her. She just wished she knew what.

The sun was setting and deeper shadows were being cast. The shadows only reminded Eris of her domain. _The night is yours, Eris, you're the goddess of it. No one stands a chance. _She thought to herself. Her anxiety was building and as it built, a soft rumbling had begun to reverberate through the tower. _Weird. _Eris thought. It was as if the tower had tapped into her emotions.

Eris looked at the sky and concentrated on the first star she saw. She heard a twig snap and whipped her head around to face the sound. There were no signs of anyone. She let out a held breath. "Fucking dryads." She said under her breath.

Onesimus enjoyed his lone trek through the forest. The peace was nice.

He moved swiftly and, for the most part, silently. He arrived at the tower sooner than he liked. _Well, if Hades has predicted my death, then there isn't shit I can do about it. _Onesimus thought, resigning himself to his fate. _Except go out in style._ He grinned at the thought.

First thing he needed to do was see who it was that was in the tower. He was creeping just out of sight of the tower trying to devise a plan to get the occupant to show themselves when he stepped on a twig. Loudly.

Onesimus froze and held his breath. He looked towards the tower as a face appeared at the top. His eyes widened as he recognized the person immediately. Eris, daughter of Hades. But if Eris, one if the most feared campers was up there, then so was the flag. It wouldn't make sense for the Athena cabin to send someone so important on a diversion mission. Which also meant that all of Alex's troops were heading in the wrong direction. And it wasn't like Onesimus could just go back and warn them all. It would take too long.

Onesimus stalked around the tower, careful not to make any noise. There didn't seem to be an entrance anywhere, so he couldn't just speed his way through and up some stairs. Then, Onesimus thought that the tower seemed awfully simplistic. There was no way that the tower the Athena kids designed to hold their flag was this simple. Onesimus picked up a rock and hesitated before throwing it at the tower with all of his strength.

The rock reverberated back at Onesimus with alarming speed. He dodged to his left and heard the rock pass his ear with less than an inch of space. _Well . . . I'm not exactly sure what I expected to happen. _Onesimus thought. _This is the Athena cabin after all. _

Onesimus guessed that this impossible task was what Hades had been referring to earlier. Then he thought about the fact that Hades' daughter was up there. No, it didn't end here. He was sure of that. There was some way to get up there. He just had to figure out how, quickly.

The tower grumbled beneath Eris' feet as though it was in discontent. She felt the metal reverberate within her as though she were being struck by something. She focused her eyes back on the ground, scouring the forest floor for any sign of a human being. Then, as if a sixth sense kicked in, the hairs on the back of Eris' neck stood up. Suddenly, she knew for sure that someone was there, hiding in the dark. She froze at the idea.

Eris gripped her sword tighter and mover her bangs from her face. She moved herself into a crouched position. _Damn. If only I could have been a daughter of Apollo or something. _She thought to herself as she really needed some way to light up her surroundings. Then she figured _why would I need light? I am one with the darkness._

Onesimus had an idea. It was crazy, but it was the only one he could come up with, so he ran with it. Onesimus had made it a point to learn as much as he could from the Hephaestus cabin. After all, ingenuity was valuable to a thief. He was able to build a few catapults that could hold a significant amount of weight. He tied the strings to where the catapults would go off at a certain time.

Onesimus quickly but silently made his way to the exact opposite side where he'd built the catapults. He wanted to check to make sure his winged shoes, a gift from his father, were properly tied, but he didn't have time.

Just as he'd made it to the other side, the first catapult went off, launching three medium-sized rocks at the tower. As soon as the catapult released, Onesimus took off toward the tower as the tower guard, Eris, rushed to the other side.

When Onesimus was about halfway to the tower, the second catapult released its' load. The rocks released by the third catapult traveled much higher than those of the first. When Eris saw them coming straight towards her, she ducked behind one of the parapets. She didn't need to, though, because the rocks were a little too short and flew across the forest, landing near the main battle.

The last catapult released just as Onesimus reached the tower. Using his winged shoes, he stepped lightly on the tower and prayed silently to his father that his step would be light enough. Long story short: it was. The tower didn't launch Onesimus backwards when his foot touched it. He ran up the side of the tower, using speed and his shoes to stay out of gravity's reach. Onesimus heard the last of the rocks hit the ground behind him. Or above him, since he _was_ horizontal.

Onesimus finished his tower run and landed hard on the top to make sure Eris heard him. Eris turned quickly toward Onesimus, not looking the least unprepared. She was ready for a fight; and as scared as Onesimus may have been at that moment, so was he.

Eris immediately recognized the new challenger as the Hermes kid from the earlier confrontation with the Athena cabin. Eris didn't pause to consider this, instead opting to go straight for the attack. She swung her sword at Onesimus' head and held out her hand to grab his throat if he dodged. When Onesimus dodged to his left, he was able to easily use his left hand to knock away Eris outstretched hand. Onesimus' speed was unrivaled and his reflexes in battle were better than just about anyone else's. In the same second as he knocked away Eris' hand, Onesimus sent his right elbow into her ribs. She stumbled back but quickly regrouped. Eris searched her opponent for a weapon, but couldn't find one. Onesimus fought with only his fists. His father had inventing boxing so he was a natural at it. His most important skill was dodging since his opponents were usually swinging sharp weapons at him. He was only able to pull off his fighting style because of his reflexes.

Onesimus took Eris' confusion as an opportunity to take the offensive. He moved in quickly and swung towards her ribs again. Eris, however, was more prepared than he thought and she dodged his hit with grace. Onesimus stumbled a bit from the momentum of his swing but caught his footing quickly, ending up with Eris to his back. Eris took a step away from Onesimus and before he could turn to face her, she went for a kick at the back of his knees. She knew it was a low blow, but she didn't care. Onesimus was used to people going for low blows when fighting him and was able to predict what Eris would do. Onesimus jumped over Eris' kick and spun, bringing his knee to meet her cheek while she was still in the middle of her attack. Eris stumbled backwards and rammed her back into the wall of the tower. She wiped the surprise off her face and reclaimed her defensive position. Onesimus moved closer and Eris surprised him by bringing her hilt down on his shoulder, and the second he regained his balance, she brought her elbow down in the exact same spot. Onesimus was able to dodge most of the second blow so it only glanced off his shoulder, but it still hurt. He stumbled back from the pain, but moved right back in, powering through the pain. Eris, believing that Onesimus would be more hurt, wasn't ready for an attack. Onesimus sent a flurry of blows towards Eris' upper body. The hits weren't hard, just plentiful. Eris tried to move her hilt into the path of Onesimus' blows, but she wasn't fast enough.

Until she got a lucky block, and Onesimus hit the hilt of her sword and his blow glanced off to the side, leaving him wide open. Eris wasn't interested in taking the offensive and instead used the time she had to do something crazy. She sheathed her sword and gripped the railing. She moved into a perfect handstand and let herself fall off the edge. The tower responded to her and a platform caught her five feet down. She drew a dagger and looked to the sky waiting for Onesimus.

Onesimus didn't believe that the daughter of Hades would retreat, so he didn't follow. Instead, he backed to the center of the tower, keeping his head on a swivel looking for a sign of Eris. Onesimus tripped over a hatch in the middle of the tower but caught himself before he fell. He grinned. _This must lead to the flag. _He thought, elated. Just as he opened the hatch, Eris reappeared on the railing. Onesimus shot her a grin and jumped into the hatch feet first. He took off running as soon as he landed, hoping to put some distance between him and Eris.

Onesimus knew exactly where the flag was. He had an ability that few knew about; he could find his way through any maze, trap, or tunnel when his intent was thievery or escape after thievery. When he got to the flag, it sat prettily upon a pedestal. He grabbed it without a second thought. Immediately, the tower began to rumble and a few rocks fell from the ceiling. Onesimus muttered an impressive four expletives in about .9 seconds. Apparently, someone from the Athena cabin was familiar with Indiana Jones. Using his father's gift, he found a tunnel below the pedestal that led underground. Just before he jumped in, he saw Eris enter the flag room. He shot her another quick grin and jumped in. Eris' only two choices were die in the crumbling tower or follow Onesimus. She chose the latter. Eris chased Onesimus into the underground chamber. She had him in sight, but just barely. She turned her speed up as high as it could go until she was close enough to him. Eris jumped at Onesimus and the two went tumbling. After the dust settled, Eris was on top of Onesimus, pinning him and the flag to the ground.

With his face in the dirt, Onesimus acted quickly and pushed up as hard as he could whilst rolling to the side. He ended up on top of Eris, giving her a quick elbow to the ribs and then taking off running again. He hadn't even taken a step when he fell again. He looked back and saw Eris' hand on his ankle. He kicked back as hard as he could without looking and took off again as soon as Eris released his ankle. Eris felt the knot forming on her forehead immediately. She was not going to let this kid get the best of her. She reached out her hand and concentrated. The tunnel began to collapse. Eris had intended to bring down rocks in front of Onesimus but had been unable to correctly account for his speed. When the rocks began to fall, they fell right over Onesimus' head. He tried his hardest to dodge the rocks while moving forward. Had he not been a child of Hermes, he'd have been dead already. He dodged as many as he could, but there were too many. One large rock fell squarely on his shoulder and he began to go down. He leaped forward as a last ditch effort to get out of the way of the rocks. He just barely made it, but didn't take a moment to rest. He got up as quickly as his injured arm would let him and took off once again, taking a second to admire the large rock pile blocking the way back. He ran faster than he ever had and made it to the end of the tunnel in minutes. He climbed a ladder and emerged beside the boundary line for the two teams. Apparently the Athenians didn't know what hubris was.

Onesimus stepped over the line and the flag changed colors in his hand. The horn sounded, signaling the end of the games. The entirety of both of the teams surrounded Onesimus within seconds. Everything was quiet for a second until Onesimus' team got over their confusion and began cheering.

Not long after that, Eris stepped up from the same trapdoor that Onesimus had come through. He looked at her bruised face and realized that they both must look like Hades had walked all over them. _That's actually sort of true in my case. _Onesimus thought and grinned.

**AN: **Just a little bit of information about my writing partner and me: I am 18 years old and my name is Malik. I live in Mississippi. She is also 18 years old, her name is Chastity and she lives in Hawaii. We would love some reviews and if you have any questions about us or the story, feel free to private message me and we'll happily answer you.


	6. Aftermath

**AN: **Hey guys, sorry for the hiatus, but my life got really hectic for a second there. It's gotten a lot better so I will attempt to post every day. Also, there will be a poll coming up soon.

As soon as she heard the horn sound, Eris knew she'd failed. As she made her way out of the tunnel, she stood and gave the Hermes kid a look that could kill. When he saw the look, Onesimus' first and only thought was: _When was the last time I updated my will._

Eris was pissed beyond the wrath of any god at that moment. For some reason, she didn't say a word. Not even a thinly veiled threat. She looked out towards the forest line and noticed that one of the stragglers coming from the forest was Clif. He shrugged at her, but she just couldn't look at him. It was too embarrassing.

Eris stalked angrily away from the forest. As she passed Onesimus, she made sure to jam her shoulder into his as hard as she could. She got a little satisfaction out of seeing him rubbing his shoulder as she left.

Amidst the reveling team, Onesimus noticed Alex approaching him. When Alex reached Onesimus, Onesimus was grinning. Onesimus had never seen Alex as happy as he was at that moment, but Alex's face didn't show it. To congratulate him, Alex slammed his hand down into Onesimus' shoulder. Tears welled up in Onesimus' eyes, and he fought to keep his knees from buckling.

After the sudden bout of pain, Onesimus looked up into Alex's eyes and said "You owe me one."

Alex cracked a small smile and turned to his cheering team and yelled "Ares!" Every team member, including those from the Hermes and Artemis cabins, joined in the cries of "AH-OO, AH-OO." The Ares cabin had started using the Spartan cheer at the beginning of the tournament.

Eris could hear the winning team's cheer as she walked to her cabin. Frustrated, she twisted her hair into a haphazard bun. She tried not to contemplate her loss or what Clif must think of her now. She tried to shake those thoughts out of her head as she took a quick, cool shower.

After her shower, Eris changed into black leggings and a red t-shirt. She grabbed her duffel bag from her bag and left her cabin, heading straight for the art studio that had been added to accommodate for the numerous personalities that passed through Camp Half-Blood. She walked angrily into the empty building and navigated the halls with ease.

Opening the door to her destination, Eris tossed her duffel bag to the side and looked at herself in one of the numerous mirrors of the dance studio.

Onesimus had just begun to enjoy his team's reveling when he noticed Chiron standing on Zeus' thumb and looking directly at him. Onesimus guessed that Chiron had noticed his numerous shallow scars and bruises and also noticed Eris' bruises (and the large knot on her forehead) and had some questions as to the events of the capture the flag game. Onesimus gave Chiron a nod and Chiron trotted away.

After Alex finished his short victory speech, he approached Onesimus. "You have to tell us the story, Onesimus. You look like Cerberus used you as a chew toy."

Onesimus, grinning, said "I will. I just need to go get my injuries checked out." It wasn't a total lie. "I'll tell you all about it at the victory party." Alex hadn't mentioned a victory party but it was a given that the Ares cabin had a party after every victory.

Alex nodded at Onesimus and rejoined his team. He started the main fire. Later, they would burn the captured flag of the losing team. It was a sort of ritual they had started.

Onesimus was at the Big House within a few minutes. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock. Chiron opened the door before Onesimus could even touch the door. "Ah, I thought I heard you."

**AN: **Hope you enjoyed it. Short, I know, but they will usually be longer. Still no reviews and I'm starting to get a bit discouraged here. So please review, yeah?


	7. A Death Sentence

**AN: **Alright, so the poll opens up now. You can find it on my profile. Added a part centered around Eris because we haven't really gotten much perspective on her. Enjoy!

Eris sat in the middle of the dance studio, reflecting on the events of capture the flag. She was having trouble coming to terms with it. Trying to keep her mind off of it, she began to stretch and warm up. The thought of her loss was really angering her and she couldn't take it anymore.

She grabbed mp3 and plugged it into the speakers. And with that, she began to dance. She danced side by side with her anger; the two mirroring each other's every move. Her jumps and leaps were higher and her pirouettes were faster and more precise. On nights like these, during dances like these, Eris could forget all about her godly parentage and the loner status that came with it. The dancing just felt right. Coming out of one of her ballet and contemporary-fused move, Eris' hair came loose.

As the music reached a climax, Eris mind went into another world. The room was full of flames that she danced through and around. Her transitions from move to mover were marked by the flames rising and falling. Every spin caused her hair to spin around her head in a deathly halo.

Most people's happy places were calming, soothing, serene, but not Eris'. The raging inferno around her that threatened to engulf her was where she was happiest. Eris had never gone to a dancing class; her ADHD couldn't handle the structure and discipline of a class, but her mom had understood that. And she taught her. Eris hadn't really spent extensive time with her mother, only every other weekend in the evenings. Her mother was part of the Sydney Ballet Company and was too busy for the mistake that was her daughter. She'd told Eris so, just not in those exact words. It had hurt, but as Eris grew up, she began to understand and relished the short time that she did spend with her mother.

Right before she began her final move, she heard the door to the studio open. She gave the intruder a curt "wait' and finished her dance. Her chest was heaving and the sweat on her face was very palpable.

"Sometimes, you children of the Big Three have the biggest egos." The man said as he took a drink of his can of Diet Coke.

Eris crossed her arms, not exactly in the mood for Dionysus' commentary. He continued. "I should've turned you into a bottlenose." He shrugged. "Oh well, missed opportunities and all that." Eris stayed silent, her arms still crossed. "You're wanted at the Big House. Chiron has requested your presence." Eris picked up her duffel bag and walked quickly out the door, leaving the god behind.

Onesimus furrowed his brow as Chiron smiled. Onesimus was always quiet out of habit, so how had Chiron heard him? Chiron gave a slight chuckle and, as if he was reading Onesimus' mind, said "Remember that I knew your father when he was a child; and he was much more mischievous than you." Onesimus nodded at him, grinning at the thought of his father as a child.

As he followed Chiron, Onesimus mentally noted that his grin was kind of permanent. His grin was never the same, though; it changed with mood and intent. The grin he'd given Chiron a few moments before, for instance, was the grin of a lightly scolded child.

Chiron looked back at Onesimus and Onesimus saw so much care in his eyes. Onesimus had never been able to understand that much care or replicate it. When they reached the main room of the Big House, Onesimus sat down on the couch while Chiron . . . kneeled? It was pretty awkward watching Chiron in horse form.

The silence was broken by Chiron before it could get awkward. He looked at Onesimus' shoulder and said, "Here. Let me." And he approached Onesimus with what looked to be an oversized first aid kit. He did some sort of healing magic that Onesimus never understood, wrapped the shoulder in gauze and put his arm in a sling.

"Thanks. Might need that arm later." Chiron gave a half-hearted chuckle at Onesimus' quip. It was clear there was something bothering him.

Chiron got right down to business. "Mind telling me how that happened?"

Onesimus hesitated for a split-second. It was a long hesitation, but he knew that Chiron had caught it. Onesimus heaved a sigh and gave Chiron a full rundown of the battle between him and Eris.

After Onesimus finished his retelling, Chiron was visibly distraught. "Foolish, Onesimus." His voice was quiet, but chastising all the same. "One or both of you could have been killed. The two of you fought like mortal enemies." He paused. "Tell me: do you have a history that has pitted you against Eris?"

Onesimus shook his head and said "Nope, but I think this might be the start of it."

Chiron's lips tightened into a thin line and he spoke carefully. "I pray to the gods that it isn't." Onesimus cocked his head in interest. He understood that Chiron cared and all but why would he care about a rivalry between two campers? Entire cabins had small wars at times, so what was so important about him and Eris getting along?

Onesimus voiced this concern and Chiron responded with "We had a godly visit today; but I'm sure you already knew that." The look on Onesimus face told Chiron that he was correct. "Hades mentioned you by name, Onesimus. History has shown us that any special mention by a god is unfortunate, but this is especially true with Hades. Though I'm sure I don't need to tell you that." Onesimus nodded. "Hades came here after he visited you . . . and he's assigned you a quest." Onesimus' eyes widened in fear and shock. Chiron held up his hand before Onesimus could speak. "I know. I don't like it any more than you do." The look on Chiron's face made Onesimus believe him. "But this is a quest from a god; we can't ignore it."

A brave grin was forced onto Onesimus' face. "No worries, Chiron. I'll get it done quick so there's no time for me to be killed." Chiron shook his head.

"There's more." He said sadly. "Eris is one of your quest companions." Onesimus tried as hard as he could not to react to this information but didn't know how well he was doing. "The last piece of dread I have for you" Chiron said with a sad tone. "There will be five people on your quest." Onesimus' face fell and he became jittery. He suddenly had the desire to run.

Barely keeping himself in his seat, Onesimus asked "When do we leave?"

Chiron seemed to age thirty years before he responded. "Three days." Onesimus stood quickly and Chiron made no move to stop him.

When he reached the door, Onesimus nearly ran right into Eris. Eris' anger rose very suddenly as she looked into the eyes of the kid who'd humiliated her earlier. She saw Chiron inside when she looked over his shoulder. Chiron motioned for her to enter and she walked past Onesimus without looking at him.

Chiron quickly gave Eris the same news she'd given Onesimus. Eris heard him and understood the gravity of the situation but could only think about the fact that her father had been at camp.

She turned to Onesimus and yelled "You mean my father, _my father_, visited you and just _totally_ ignored his own daughter?!" Eris knew her cheeks were getting red and she interrupted Onesimus as he began to speak. "Never mind! He must have decided to give you his blessing instead of his daughter who asked for it." Eris had had enough. Not only had she been humiliated, but the same guy who humiliated her had gotten alone time with her father, something shed never had. "I'm not going." She said. "It's obvious who my father favors, and it isn't me." She resisted the urge to spit on Onesimus.

Onesimus gave her a grin and said "Well it's kind of hard not to like me, don't you think?" Eris lunged at him but Chiron was quick enough to grab her and hold her back.

"Listen, Eris." Chiron said in a tone that demanded respect but wasn't unkind. "You have no choice. You will, sadly, be on this quest. A god has assigned you a role in this quest. He mentioned you specifically. If you want his attention, you have it." Eris stopped struggling against Chiron and he released her. "Now, Hades hasn't left any choice for the other three quest members. The other three are Krea of the Athena cabin, Clif of the Athena cabin, and Alex of the Ares cabin. Onesimus, I leave it to you to tell them." When no one said anything, Chiron said "You are dismissed. Goodnight." The two left, careful not to get in each other's way.

At that moment, neither camper cared about the other. They were too busy thinking about the impending death of two campers.

**AN: **Well, another long one. I'll try to keep them long from here on out. To the readers that keep coming back, thank you guys! I'm glad you like it. As always, if you have any questions about the authors or the story, just private message me and I'll respond as quick as possible. If you have any praises or criticisms about the story, please review. I especially want the criticisms.


	8. Victory Party

**AN:** So far, so good on the every day thing. I've got a few days off work so there shouldn't be any problems. I'm having a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you guys enjoy reading it.

_This is going to be hell. _Onesimus thought. He didn't so much mind that Alex was going; they'd have each other's backs pretty well. As for Eris . . . he really didn't like the idea of going anywhere with her, much less hundreds if not thousands of miles from the safety of camp. Then there was Krea. They had a long, complicated history. It wouldn't be easy to even talk to her, much less give her the news about a quest. Without thinking about it, Onesimus had stopped walking.

Eris had stopped, too. She was thinking about Clif. Eris and Clif got along well enough but in no way was she ready to tell him about this quest. Eris also hated the idea of being on a quest with Onesimus. It was like her father had purposely found every possible thing that could annoy her and done it.

It was at that time that both Onesimus and Eris simultaneously realized that they'd been standing stock-still next to each other for a while. Both eyed each other wearily.

Before the awkward silence could build any more, Onesimus said "I think I'll go rejoin the victory party."

With as much sarcasm as she could muster, Eris said "Why of course, don't let me stop you." And she rolled her eyes and stalked angrily towards her cabin.

When Onesimus made it back to the victory party, it was at the height of its excitement. Onesimus was greeted with cheers as he arrived. He lifted his good arm into the air while grinning. Alex approached Onesimus immediately and noticed the sling. He also seemed to notice for the first time that Onesimus had a tone of scars and bruises on his face and arms.

"It looks like she tried to kill you over that flag." Alex said, laughing.

Onesimus laughed with him and said "You don't even know the half of it. I actually feared for my life.

At that statement, Alex's interest was piqued. "Why don't you tell us all about it?" Alex led Onesimus towards the MVP chair which was usually occupied by a cabin leader.

Once Alex sat down in a chair next to him, Onesimus turned to him, ready to speak; Alex held up his hand to tell Onesimus to wait. Alex turned to the cabin mate seated next to him and whispered something that Onesimus couldn't hear. Not long after, a horn sounded and it seemed to Onesimus that all talking and revelries stopped at the same time.

All of the members of the victory part gathered at the fire, waiting in dead silence, facing Onesimus and waiting for his story. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the flames crackling. Onesimus noted that even his own brothers and sisters were waiting eagerly to hear the story; not a single one of them were pickpocketing the unaware members of the Ares cabin, which Onesimus thought was a wasted opportunity.

Despite the weirdness of his team members, Onesimus began his story. He started by talking about his creeping through the woods towards the tower at the beginning of the games. He could've sworn he saw an image of the tower in the fire. Onesimus stopped for a second so he could concentrate on the fire, but the image was no longer there, so he continued his story. The second he began telling the story again, he saw an image of him running through the forest and this time he knew he hadn't imagined it.

Onesimus turned to Alex and said "Did you see that?!"

To Onesimus' surprise, Alex was grinning. "Like it? It was a gift from my father. Our reward for our hard-fought victory. Now hurry up and finish the story before the fire goes out; that's our time limit for the magic.

Onesimus nodded at him with a grin. This was going to be great. Onesimus watched with interest equal to his teammates'. He watched himself as he rigged the catapults and ran to the other side of the tower. Everyone's eyes lit up as they watched Onesimus run up the side of the tower. Then came the fight. There were plenty of "ooh"s when Onesimus' knee met Eris face. There were boos when Eris' sword hilt landed on Onesimus shoulder twice. Cheers accompanied the flurry of small strikes that Onesimus managed to land. The actual fight had been kind of short and unexciting as far as fights go, but the fire made the fight seem miraculous and important. Silence fell as Onesimus ran through the tunnels and reached the flag. Eyes widened when the tower began to crumble around Onesimus. The spectators laughed when Onesimus kicked over the pedestal, shot Eris a grin, and jumped down. Interest peaked when Eris and Onesimus struggled against each other underground. The loudest cheer came when Onesimus' foot connected with Eris' forehead. The cheers died the moment the rocks began falling from the roof of the tunnel. There were gasps as a large rock hit Onesimus' shoulder. Everyone looked as Onesimus and his sling with new respect as they watched him get up and run to the end of the tunnel.

Onesimus finished the story with "The looks on your faces when you saw me with the flag." Onesimus laughed a little. "Almost as good as the looks on the faces of the Athena cabin!" Cheers went up and the winning team resumed their party with a renewed vigor.

**AN:** Love it? Hate it? Tell me about it. Let me know how you feel. As always, any questions about the story or the authors, private message me. I'll answer your questions happily. Also, I have a twitter for you guys to leave reviews just in case it's easier for you. It's rogue_oreo so if you have anything to say about the story, you can contact me there.


	9. Loser's Circle

**AN:** Quite a few things to address here: first, I'd like to thank Witty Lady for giving me my first review and for following the story. Second, the last chapter was an Onesimus only chapter so this one is Eris only. Third, I understand that Artemis doesn't have any children; the Hunters of Artemis are the ones who are on Onesimus' capture the flag team. Fourth, the poll is still open and it is on my profile. To everyone who reads the story, you probably want to make a choice, or we will choose for you (and you won't like our choice)

Eris didn't really feel like going straight back to her cabin; there were too many thoughts in her head to sleep, anyway. She decided to take a walk around the camp. She walked without direction and ended up less than a hundred feet away from the victory party that the Ares cabin was having. Looking at the faces of those in the victory party, she noticed that, like always, the Hunters of Artemis had chosen not to join in the fun.

Eris rolled her eyes. She admired the Hunters' skills but thought their character was a bit . . . lacking.

Then Eris realized that there was little to no sound coming from the victory party. An Ares victory party was notorious for its obscene amount of noise. She noticed that everyone was gathered around the fire; intrigued, she looked closer at the fire and saw herself and Onesimus. She heard the crowd cheer when Onesimus' knee connected with her face and she heard boos when she hit Onesimus' shoulder with her hilt. It was then that she noticed for the first time that Onesimus' arm was in a sling. A smirk found its way onto her face. At least she'd done some damage.

Her smirk disappeared as she was forced to relive her embarrassing defeat. She wanted to leave, but she was frozen in place. Her face began to burn and she could only imagine how red it was. Whether it was embarrassment, decimated pride, or the fact that she wanted to be the one in Onesimus' position, telling the story, her eyes began to water.

_Tears are for the weak, Eris, and you've been plenty of that tonight. _She mentally chided herself. Before the retelling of Onesimus' victory was complete, Eris managed to unfreeze her limbs and make her way towards her cabin. She kept her head down throughout the rest of the walk, not wanting to see anyone.

Eris walked quickly up the stairs to her cabin, and had her hand on the doorknob when she heard someone say "And where have you been miss doom and gloom?" Clif said with a chuckle.

Eris' heart leaped into her chest as she turned to see Clif sitting on the railing and whittling something white. She'd had no idea that Clif was the type of person to . . . well . . . whittle, but she added it to her mental list of observed information about him.

"Ummm" Eris said intelligently. Her mind was a blur.

Clif laughed again and stood to walk towards Eris. "You thought I was mad at you." He didn't phrase it as a question. He already knew. "Well, let's settle that matter now." Clif gave Eris a gentle smile. "Honestly, I'm not mad, nor am I disappointed. I know that you tried your hardest and did your best. I noticed the death-stare you gave Onesimus after he crossed the line. I also saw the way he was holding his arm. You did your share of damage, but sometimes it's just not enough." He paused and the silence began to grow.

Eris hand was still resting on the doorknob and her mouth had dried up. Clif moved closer and took one of Eris' hands. He wrapped his hand around hers and leaned his forehead on hers. Eris forgot how to breathe as she looked in Clif's eyes longingly.

Clif closed his eyes and in a quiet voice, said "I also know one other thing about you" He pressed something into her hand. "You're beautiful when you dance." He drew away and Eris felt her tiny dream ending. His warmth left her and his blue-grey eyes turned away from her.

"Goodnight, Eris." Clif said as he walked away.

As his figure receded from view, Eris finally managed to speak. "I think I love you Clif" she said in a barely audible whisper. She stood frozen for a minute, reliving the moment over and over in her head.

She finally opened her hand and saw the leafless totem and she smiled. Eris finally went inside her cabin and crashed on her bed, but she couldn't sleep; her heart was in the stars that she was staring at. She laid in her bed, clutching the little totem over her chest and couldn't help but bite her lip a little to curb her excitement.

**AN:** As always, hope you guys enjoyed. Leave a review to let me know how you like it or if you hate it. Send me a private message if you have any questions about the story or the authors.


	10. Delivering The News

**AN: **Whoo! Chapter 10! Love it! The story seems to be coming along well in my opinion. Sorry about the late post; I was watching Divergent and I had to go to the dentist. (Yes that took all day. Don't ask questions).

The victory party began to wind down as the campers got tired and started falling asleep in the grass around the fire. Onesimus had long ago stopped celebrating as the memory of his impending quest and possible death refreshed itself in his mind. Onesimus had heard stories about the last time there was a five person quest. Two hadn't made it back, and Onesimus had a sick feeling in his stomach that this quest might turn out the same . . . or worse.

Onesimus sat on the outskirts of the victory party, trying to figure out how to break the news of the quest to Krea. In his sulking, Onesimus didn't notice Alex until he'd sat down next to him.

"What's up?" Alex asked seriously.

"Hm?" Onesimus said, not even realizing at first that Alex had spoken. "Oh, nothing."

Alex eyed him and said, "Bullshit."

Onesimus sighed. "There's a quest." He said simply, knowing that he'd have to get this over with sooner or later.

Alex's eyes widened at Onesimus' statement. The first question that came to his mind was "Am I going?"

Onesimus nodded, but his expression was sad. "You, me, Eris, and two other people." Alex's eyes darkened a bit as he realized the implication. "I didn't get to choose the companions, either. Hades did." Alex's previous excitement had died completely.

He stood and without looking at Onesimus, said "I guess I better go prepare. When do we leave?"

"Three days." Onesimus said solemnly.

Alex left without saying anything. Onesimus heaved a sigh and leaned his chair back until it fell all the way back. He laid there and stared up at the stars. He couldn't find the beauty in them but their light distracted him enough to allow him to fall asleep. W

Onesimus' sleep didn't last as long as the others'. His father was the god of travelers, so he was always awake early, ready to travel wherever he needed to. Today, that place was the Hades cabin and then the Athena cabin, assuming he was still alive at that time. As he stood, some of his siblings began to stir. Usually his siblings were up before him but there was too much on his mind at the moment for him to get a good sleep.

He headed off in the direction of the Hades cabin; he turned around multiple times, trying to talk himself out of it, but he knew he had to. Without realizing it, he made it to the Hades cabin and silently cursed his own speed. There was no turning back now.

Onesimus mustered up all his courage and stupidity and raised his hand to knock. Before he could even touch the door, it swung open and Eris nearly ran right over him.

When she noticed him, Eris said "Come here to gloat about your fluke." Onesimus could easily imagine fire in Eris' eyes.

Immediately a smartass answer came to Onesimus mind, but he stopped it before it could exit his thoughts. Instead, he said "No, I've come to call a truce. " He reached out his hand but Eris ignored it.

"Nah, I'm good." She said and tried to move past him.

Onesimus moved in front of her to block her. "Look, we're going to have to work together on this quest, so we might as well start now."

Eris rolled her eyes. "There's three other members of the quest for you to work with." She said stubbornly.

Onesimus gave up on that line of action and instead tried something else. "Well, how about telling the other quest members, then? Got any plans for that?"

"Chiron left that up to you."

"Exactly! And since you know Clif, you're going with me to the Athena cabin to tell him and Krea about the quest. "

"No."

"Really? That's it? Just no?"

"Yep."

Onesimus was ready to pull his hair out. "Why do you have to be so damned stubborn?"

"Why do you have to ask so many damned questions?" Eris responded calmly.

"Gods dammit, just come with me. Please!" Onesimus said, frustrated.

A small smile played on Eris' lips. She was satisfied with the reaction she'd gotten out of him. "Well, since you said please." Eris began walking to the Athena cabin without waiting for Onesimus' response.

Shaking his head, Onesimus followed quietly. When the pair arrived, There were a few boys from the Athena cabin playing an enchanted game of chess. The board wasn't flat or square and it simulated terrain. The game was also real-time instead of turn-based.

Onesimus was just about to try and get the boys' attention when he saw a rock hit one of them. He turned to look at Eris, but all she said was "whoops. It slipped."

When Onesimus turned back around, all three boys were looking at him. "Uh, can you get Krea and Clif please? It's for Chiron." Not a total lie.

The boys stared angrily at Onesimus for an awkwardly long amount of time, which gave Eris a little bit of satisfaction. Eventually one of the boys stood and walked inside the cabin. The boy saw Clif talking strategy with the cabin leader, Rayla. He tapped Clif on the shoulder and told him what was going on. Then, he asked Rayla if she knew where Krea was. Rayla pointed him towards the back of the cabin where Krea was just waking up.

When the boy reached Krea, he said "Onesimus is outside. He asked for you."

Krea's mind froze for a second, but she quickly jumped out of her bed and combed her dirty blonde hair as much as she could and applied a small amount of makeup. She wiped her eyes with a towel so there wasn't any evidence that she'd just woken up.

Outside of the cabin, Onesimus was glaring at Eris.

Eris smiled a bit and said "What?"

Onesimus just shook his head. As he turned back to look at the cabin, he saw the boy come out followed closely by Clif. When Clif noticed Onesimus and Eris in the same vicinity, his expression changed to concern and bewilderment. He approached the pair slowly, giving a small wave to Eris.

"Where's Krea?" Onesimus asked Clif.

"She's on her way out." Clif said, sounding weary.

Onesimus saw Krea not long after. He tried his best not to stare at her, but failed. Krea began to walk towards Onesimus until she noticed Eris and Clif. Her expression looked a lot like Clif's.

Krea approached cautiously and when she arrived, Onesimus said "Hi." Then he silently cursed himself for sounding so stupid. He'd wanted to say more but he'd lost the ability to form sentences.

"Hi." Krea said, obviously unhappy.

Onesimus turned to Clif and stuck out his hand. "I'm Onesimus." He said with his trademark grin.

Clif ignored the hand. "I know who you are. We've had to upgrade our security three times this month because of you." Onesimus dropped his hand but kept the grin.

Then Krea piped up with "So are you finally here to explain?"

"What?" Onesimus asked, caught off guard.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Krea said, her expression turning deadly.

Onesimus began to stutter a response, but when he failed at that, he ran.

Eris began laughing hard. "Did he actually do that? He just ran." She laughed harder.

"Yeah, that's how he solves his problems." Krea said a little sadly. She turned to Eris. " So what's this about?"

Eris explained the quest as simply as possible but when she told it, it seemed as though she was delivering a death sentence.

At the end, Krea said "Wow, two days. I better start preparing." And she ran off.

Clif spoke after Krea had gone. "So your father just randomly and without reasons assigns a quest?" He shook his head. "Well, we're fucked."

The statement surprised Eris and she knew it showed on her face. There was a pause and the silence between them began to grow. That is, until Clif grabbed Eris' hand and said "well, at least it's not a completely bad thing." And he gave her a smile.

Eris forgot, once again, how to breathe. She managed to smile back at Clif, but not much more than that. Before it got awkward, Clif released Eris' hand. "Well, I have to prepare, too." He said and walked back into his cabin.

**AN: **Hope you enjoyed this part of the story. Leave me a review to let me know what you did/didn't like about it. Send me a private message if you have any questions about the story or the authors.


	11. Ponder Life

AN: So, this is the other half of the story writer posting at this time. My male counterpart decided to go MIA and leave me with some responsibility at this time and all that. But anyways, perhaps you'll recognize our different writing styles and whatnot. So you know, Eris is my character and for me personally, she is a work in progress, still working out her kinks, for she isn't exactly my easiest one. But she has a long road ahead of her, so hopefully you all will see her genuality and fall in love with her like I am beginning to. Like my friend always says, leave a comment or something, feedback is greatly enjoyed and preferred. How're we to get better if no one speaks up?

Eris stood amidst the Athena cabin and her spawn still catching her breath from the scene between 'the great victor' who outdid her at capture the flag last night. She hadn't laughed like that in such a long time, and laughing at another's expense only made it better. Krea had finally retreated back to her cabin after her and Onesimus' fiasco and left Eris alone. _I suppose it's just me, myself, and I_, Eris thought to herself.

She turned around and fell into a light jog as she scooped up her duffel from the grass. She wasn't in the mood for her normal routine. She decided she would abandon today's schedule and actually return to something she loved. SHe had been heading toward the Coliseum, but as her mind changed direction, her feet followed suite. she headed to the Art Studio on the grove beyond the Big House. As she arrived, she was lightly perspiring, but it was the perfect warm up.

She dressed out, trading her sweatshirt for a leotard and deciding to stay barefoot. She looked out one of the floor to ceiling windows and noted the change in the sky. It had become clouded and dark, silently boding a promise of rain and Eris only hope it would downpour. She would have no music. Only the fleeting notes of memories in her mind to lead her on her course. All of her contemporary routines began rigid and poplike as she contorted her way into positions that emphasized how much of a puppet she fealt like. As she landed a tornadolike leap into a fetal position, her eyes closed and she seemed to transcend from her body and see her rolled into her fetal position. She then saw herself spread herself like a starfish and pull her chest up off from the ground to mimic being on a string. she firmly took her arms and crossed them over her chest as if to fend off her invisible adversary but it was no use, she was a ragdoll to be controlled. Her moves continued stiff and seemingly unwilling, as if someone else possessed her. That's how Eris danced, she conveyed a story, her story, of which she was always very aware of her motions. It was poetry in motion. Every movement infused with emotion. It was possibly when she danced that, that was the only time she could ever be her most vulnerable.

Eris seemingly stopped in front of the studio mirror, but she aimed it to be part of the routine. She took her hand and brought it up to the glass afraid of what seemed to ber her own reflection. But within her mind, it wasn't herself she was fearing, it was the memory of feeling trapped behind glass doors as a secretary from her mother's ballet company dropped her off at an orphanage. She relived the moment intensely and as the memory enveloped her, her body froze...

She remmebered the far too sweet smell of the business car, the permanent silence that demanded to be left in the air, the itchy and uncomfortable pink dress the secretary had her put on before they left her mother's estate. It all was so vivid and clear in her mind. The secretary had pulled up to this unknown building that was in the suburbs of San Diego, California. When she was ushered in she was met with this heavyset squat old woman who had hands that resembled claws more than hands. The secretary pushed Eris into the woman with the clawlike hands and asked for the old woman's signature. The old woman scribbled on the paper haphazardly and shoved it back at the secretary. The secretarymerely adjusted her glasses and straightened her skirt to leave. Without a word she left, and as she looked into the old woman's eyes, she knew there was something there beyong humanity and she ran to the glass door as she watched the sweet smelling car that brought her here, leave, and abandon her.

She turned around and as her gut had said, this old woman was something far beyond humanity. Her hunched back that had her shirt taut, exploded in a flurry of feathers. Her wrinkly face began to grow a nasty beak and her arms began to wrinkle even more. She screeched a high pitch sound and before Eris even questioned what was happening, she unlocked the door and bolted onto the porch over the railing and took off down the gravel road. She chanced a look behind her and saw the creature start charging after her. By this time in Eris' short eleven-year-old lifespan, she had seen a lot and been through much, but she had never encountered this kind of thing. She kept up her sprint and tripped on a rather large rock in the road. Her hands automatically found their way to stop the fall, and her knees broker her landing as she skidded across the gravel. But she didn't stay down long, she kicked herself back into a run as she ran for what she feared was her life. She took a left down a street and came to a ravine that looked to lead to some construction area. she didn't hesitate to slide down the muddy ravine. But looking behind her, neither did the creature. It kept squwking and screeching at her as Eris ran.

Eris came upon great mounds of rocks and industrial dirt as she saw the bird thing start closing on her. Eris scrambled to the top of one the piles, ruining her dress even more. The thing was at the base of the pile and making its way up to Eris. The only thing Eris could imagine were its claws in her skin and beak ripping apart her entrails as it ascended. But what happened then, was a phenomenon to the common eye. Eris had picked up rocks to throw at the creature, but as she threw the few rocks in her hand, a jetstream from the adjacent piles channeled themselves at the creature. Not only pummeling her to the ground, but burying her as well. Eris, took a moment and stared at her hands and looked to the sky. And right above her head, was the bleached white skull in a golden helmet. It glowed brightly over her and when it finally began to fade, she heard a deep gutteral voice, _I already claimed you once child, now twice, don't make me remind you who you are again. _And with that, the voice went silent. I had no idea what it was, or what had happened. All I knew was, I needed to get away from here. And fast...

Eris returned to the present and looked at herself in the mirror. That was five years ago. She was different now, and stronger, and not nearly as naive and afraid. She knew who she was, she was the girl abandoned by her mother who was left at the doorstep of her immediate death. But, luckily for her, she wasn't easy to dispose of. Eris' hand balled into a fist and slammed on the glass despairingly. She began to drop to her knees as her head leaned onto the mirror as well. The tears wouldn't come, but her body became raked with choking sobs at the memory. She fealt so alone. As if none of her efforts really had any weight. And now she has a quest, a quest as if she was merely raised to be slaughtered.

She calmed herself slowly. It took time, and she figured it was probably time to return and adhere to some part of her original schedule. She changed quickly and headed back towards the Coliseum. She needed to burn some real energy.


	12. Somewhat Motherly Visit

After Onesimus' fleeing confrontation with Krea, he ran for who knows how long. He was channeling all his uncertainty into the one thing he was certain of, and that was his own body. It always soothed his muscles to run as hard as he does, and it allowed his mind to wander. He ran by the archery ranges, the cabins, the coliseum, all the way into the depths of the forest before he even broke his stride into a jog. His chest reclaimed air quickly as he came to a stop in a copse of trees. By the shadows, he could tell it was was early afternoon by this time. He found a rock and sat on it as he let his elbows sit on his thighs and his head between his legs.

His eyes drooped closed, not from tiredness but from the serenity of the environment. He could hear the birds chirping in the distance, and the rippling water of the creek, and it he made his breathing shallow enough, he could hear the leaves land upon the ground. It all was so pure and natural.

A breeze caressed its way on his body along with disturbing the leaves on the ground. The sounds seemed to grow, but he kept his eyes closed. It was like a Siren's song, but on land. And with the whistling of branches and rustling of the leaves it all just stopped.

Onesimus' shook himself from the spell and rose his head. The silence had crept into his mind to the point of concern and he looked up groggily. His eyes took a moment as his eyes adjusted and he saw the empty copse before him.

"Finally," a female voice said behind him, "you move." Onesimus looked behind him and he saw woman leaning on the tree behind him.

She pushed herself off the tree and moved toward him slowly. He tried to get up but found his wrists and ankles constricted by vinelike roots. "Wha-" he started to say as he more violently thrashed to be released from this chair.

"Oh hush now," she interrupted, "I am not here to hurt you". And she added as an afterthought, "I am actually quite hurt that you haven't recognized me," and the woman makes an exaggerated scoff.

Onesimus looked her up and down and saw golden leaves woven into her curly wooden brown hair and her squared off face touched with freckles as if she was sun kissed. Her emerald eyes pierced through him as if he he was nothing but a piece of paper, but they were so full of warmth and life. Her dress was comprised of all the hues of fall and the ground before had leaves dance around her silently. He breathed one word, "Demeter".

She grinned brightly and giggled like a child, "There we go!"

Onesimus was taken aback, "You- you- don't look exactly-"

"My _supposed _age? is that what you were going to say?" She gave a huff as she kneeled in front of him. She took his face in one of her hands and moved his head around to get a better look at him. "Well if I might say, you don't exactly look like much for one of our heros, much less worthy of my daughter." She continues to assess him as he looks at her bewildered. Hades didn't even dare touch him, and this goddess? She was practically breaking any of the godly rules of such interaction between the gods and demigod. She finished her inspection and with a wave, she released the constrictions on Onesimus. Her nose wrinkled slightly, "I hope your counterpart is more looking of the part of one of our heroes. Be a pity if both of you are unispirational." She sighed again, "But what can you expect of a child of Hermes and Hades," she shivered at the name. She continued to talk to herself, "My my, I really do hope that daughter of his isn't all mopey dopey, and such a bore like his other children. Why do you suppose they're all such depressing people? Hmm?" She looked back at him expectantly.

Onesimus couldn't wrap his mind around it. _Why do I have to be the one who get all the godly visits?_ Being able to find his tongue he replied, "My guess is that their father is the god of darkness and the Underworld."

"Right." she said as she seemed to fall into a reverie. "Which reminds me, why in the gods name woud he whisk away my daughter? Of all the people he had to pick her, was I not worthy enough to be taken away? Hmm? What have you at that?" She looked at him again waiting for an answer.

Of all the conversations to be had with the goddess of nature, he and her were having one of Hades' favor. Onesimus shook his head and replied with his most flattering and tactful answer he could think of, "No offense to your daughter, but probably because she's that easy to get in bed." He paused a moment to let it set in, "He didn't want to have to play hard-to-get with a lady of propriety such as yourself."

She mused the idea to herself for a moment and gave him another piercing emrald gazed look. And with the most maturity he had seen from her so far she said, "Perhaps, with that quick tongue of yours, there is hope for us yet." Then in a flurry of deafening dancing leaves and birds' wings, she was enveloped in a tornado and just gone as it died.

He stood and rubbed his wrists where he was restricted. He started to walk back to camp and muttered, "I give her points on style." And the following step after he said that, he fell on his face as he looked back and saw a thick root over the top of his shoe. "It was nice to meet you too Demeter," he grumbled as he dusted himself off and continued on his way.


	13. Bittersweet Memories

**AN: **I realize that it's been over two weeks since the last post, but I have a good excuse: I went MIA because I had to drive 2,000 miles to get to my new home. My writing partner was supposed to be covering and writing during that time, but she didn't have the time either. I have settled into my new apartment and will be resuming my writing. Thanks for the patience, everyone.

Onesimus shook his head at his dumb luck. Most demigods would feel lucky to get even one visit from a god in their entire lives; Onesimus had gotten two in two days and wished that neither of them had happened. Not to mention the one from his father that had nearly ruined his life.

Onesimus got to the edge of the forest before he remembered why he'd run in the first place. He immediately got antsy. His legs seemed to vibrate. He wanted to move; he wanted to run. Calming himself, Onesimus stepped back slowly, retreating back into the forest. He sat down on the grass and thought about Krea.

Onesimus knew exactly what Krea had been referring to before. He knew what he needed to explain. The memories washed over him.

Onesimus remembered the first day he'd met Krea. He'd just been expelled from yet another middle school. He'd set a record by being able to stay there for three whole months, but when he'd tried to explain that the reason he'd brought a knife to school was because the Vice Principal had a bull's head and a serpent's tail, the school felt they had no choice but to expel him.

Onesimus arrived at his fourth middle school in his sixth grade year in February, just two weeks after his birthday. He walked to school that day, the same way he'd done at every other school. All of them had been more than five miles away, but he enjoyed the walk. It was the only time his mind was clear.

When he arrived at the school, he didn't have much hope. He went to the office immediately, expecting the same lecture he'd gotten at every other school before. Once Onesimus gave the office receptionist his name, he was ushered quickly to the principal's office. The receptionist told him to knock on the door.

Onesimus obliged and heard a kind, masculine voice say, "Just a second." In a short time, the door opened. Onesimus came face to face with a stout runt of a man, just barely taller than Onesimus. He smiled a kind smiled and welcomed Onesimus into his office.

The office looked like every other principal's office Onesimus had been in. From the wood-finished desk to the bland layout. The one difference he did notice was that there was someone else in the office. A blond-haired girl sat in one of the chairs set up in front of the large desk. She looked directly at him as he sat in the chair next to hers, the only other one in the room. Her gaze was intimidating and calculating, but not unkind. She seemed to be analyzing every inch of him. Not in the way a young girl would usually analyze a young boy; he could feel her analyze his stature, his strengths, and his weaknesses.

Onesimus was immediately attracted to her.

"Onesimus." The principal said, gaining both children's attention. "This is Krea," he motioned towards the girl. "You two will be joined at the hip for the time that you are here. She is our most trusted student and, quite honestly, I don't have time to deal with you. I have a school to run. Dismissed."

His words were brutally honest, but contained no venom or spite. Onesimus could respect that. He stood up to leave and Krea did the same.

Once they were outside of the office, Krea spoke to Onesimus. "My name's Krea. Don't do anything stupid and we might just have a chance of not hating each other." Onesimus rolled his eyes and quickly received a slap. "That was an example of something stupid." Krea told him and began walking away. Onesimus realized it might be in his best interest if he followed her.

Krea explained that they had all the same classes and sat together in those classes. She escorted Onesimus to his first class and then to his seat. Krea explained to Onesimus that he wasn't going to be introduced or anything because of his . . . 'status'. Onesimus merely nodded.

Onesimus daydreamed his way through the first day of school, along with the second, but on the third, Krea interrupted his daydreaming. "You know, there's this thing called 'work' in school that you do."

Onesimus' first instinct was to give a smartass answer but one slap had been enough for him, so he simply said "Never been really good at school."

"I bet there's not much you're good at." Krea said.

"I can run." Onesimus said, slightly defensive.

"Well that doesn't really help with history, does it?" Krea bit back at him.

Onesimus rolled his eyes and dodged Krea's slap. Krea glared at him, making him fully believe that a slap wasn't the worst punishment Krea could think of.

Onesimus grabbed a pencil and began attempting the work. It was a long worksheet, but Krea scared him, so he did it anyway. He felt proud of himself for finishing the first page until he looked up and realized that everyone else in the class, including Krea, had already finished. Krea looked at him and smirked.

"You know I could help you if you want." She said in a patronizing tone.

Onesimus could feel himself glaring. He wanted to surprise the smug look off Krea's face, so he said "Sure, that'd be great." It worked.

Krea looked at Onesimus. "Wait, really? You actually want help?"

Onesimus nodded. Krea wiped the surprise off her face and started to explain the work to Onesimus.

Over the course of a month and a half, Onesimus and Krea became closer. It's nearly impossible to make two people spend as much time together as Onesimus and Krea were and not expect them to become friends. During that time, Onesimus discovered that he really liked Krea and Krea even thought about Onesimus in a . . . different context sometimes.

Once track season started, Krea convinced Onesimus to go to the tryouts. Needless to say, Onesimus made the team. Because of Onesimus' status, Krea was forced to go to every practice and every meet.

One practice, two days before the first meet, Onesimus had been mentally questioning how he felt about Krea. He also questioned whether he'd do something about it. That practice, with his mind full and confused, he ran harder than he ever had before. By the end of practice he made up his mind about what he wanted to do.

Like usual, he walked up the bleachers to where Krea was sitting and sat next to her to rest for a while.

"Ready for the meet?" Krea asked him, smiling. He smiled back and nodded. His heart beat hard as he thought about what he planned to do.

"Hey Krea." Onesimus said and when she turned to look at him, he kissed her.

There was a scary second where Krea didn't kiss him back. But once she got over her shock, it obvious that she'd wanted the kiss just as much as Onesimus.

Onesimus pushed the memories away. He stood from the grass, wiped his eyes, and ran with a speed he'd never known.


End file.
